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High energy and transportation costs represent two of the major challenges for the hydrocarbons industry, and recent reports in a local business publication look deeper into the causes and future trajectory.

The Armed Forces stepped up their activities as the guerrilla maintained the pressure. Incidents were up by nearly one-third to 38 and guerrilla-initiated incidents were about equal to last week so the increase was due to their opponents.

In Meta a meeting between USO and Ecopetrol (NYSE: EC) executives brought a 15 day protest to a halt, while the union gears up for talks with Mansarovar Energy and supports a strike in Tibú.

The Minister of Mines and Energy Tomás González says that additional tax support is an alternative for the industry beyond already-approved measures, but industry observers question how these will work out in practice.

Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) has concluded an inspection of submarine pipelines in the Coveñas port, which will connect exportable crude from the land terminal to loading boats at sea.

The president of the USO oil workers union Edwin Castaño said that the “reinvention” of Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) announced by the NOC’s new president Juan Carlos Echeverry is misguided and instead it should focus on directly operating all of its smaller fields.

Unfortunately, this week we saw the expected reaction to the end of the Farc’s unilateral truce. Incidents were up to 28 but guerrilla-initiated incidents more than doubled and there was a return to direct infrastructure attacks.

Since the ceasefire has been lifted some 18 acts of violence have been registered, accounting for 85% of the attacks made over the last five months, as the future of the talks remain in question.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MinMinas), the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH), the National Council on Economic and Social Policy (CONPES) and the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, among other governmental groups, have established policies to promote offshore and unconventional energy sector development.

The National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) has put out a call for successful cases of social development and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in regions with hydrocarbons production.